Matthew Tully: Joe Donnelly is right to embrace same-sex marriage

Apr. 5, 2013

Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly, one of the few remaining Senate Democrats who opposed gay marriage, announced on his Facebook page that he now supports 'marriage equality for all.' / Associated Press file photo

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1. It was inevitable. The tide has shifted fast and irrevocably on this issue. In a short period of time Donnelly had become one of the few Democratic opponents of same-sex marriage left in the Senate. Even some Republican senators have made similar announcements in recent weeks. By 2018, when Donnelly is up for re-election, it’s easy to imagine that this issue will have long since been settled. On the other hand, it’s hard to imagine today’s decision will hurt him in that year’s elections. It was clear that Donnelly’s position was going to change; formally changing it now just makes sense. It also eliminates a nagging political headache.

2. There will be fallout. In the end, though, the fallout is likely to be minor. And fortunately for Donnelly it will largely be among those voters who didn’t vote for him last year. The challenge for Donnelly has always been this: he needs to prove to Indiana voters that he is an independent voice in Washington. Moves such as this one will give his critics ammunition. But his voting record has and will likely continue to be filled with plenty of votes that go against a majority of his Democratic colleagues. His moderate credentials are safe. Moreover, even many conservative politicians in Indiana acknowledge gay marriage has become a lower-tier issue among their supporters of late.

3. There will be a benefit, too. Moderate Democrats like Donnelly can win elections in Indiana but they don’t always fire up the liberal base (a base that is obviously smaller in Indiana than in many states.) This will be a popular move among younger and more liberal Hoosiers, and that will help Donnelly down the road. Among the first to praise Donnelly in a statement was Aaron Schaler, president of Indiana Stonewall Democrats, a gay-rights organization. “He’s on the right side of history,” Schaler said. Moreover, if Republicans attack this move too strongly they risk further alienating the next generation of voters.

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4. Switching this position is OK. “I have been thinking about my past positions and votes,” Donnelly said in his statement today. “In doing so, I have concluded that the right thing to do is to support marriage equality for all.” In the end, this is one of those rare issues in which such a change in position seems to be at least partly immune from charges of flip-flopping or political dishonesty. After all, millions of Americans have changed their own positions on gay marriage in recent years; polls show a massive shift toward support for it. It only makes sense that many politicians, like other Americans, have changed their positions.

5. This is actually why Hoosiers elected Donnelly. Hoosiers last year supported Donnelly’s argument that the Senate needed more people who are willing to listen to political opponents and not be held hostage to political ideology. He now supports marriage equality, and that will anger some. But at its core, his move is a reminder that he brings an open mind to Washington.